Label holder



May 30, 1967 M. T. PHELPs 3,321,855

LABEL HOLDER Filed April 28, 1964 A 'l. 27 |Y\ l llllllll`lll"` I Il l l z I 30 i; 16 28 F4193. l

INVENTOR. MALCOLM Z' PHEZPS AT T ORA/'EXE' United States Patent O 3,321,855 LABEL HOLDER Malcolm T. Phelps, Jamestown, N Y., assignor to Weber- Knapp Company, Jamestown, N,Y. Filed Apr. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 363,128 2 Claims. (Cl. 40-16) This invention relates to label holders for attachment, for example, to drawer heads, shelf panels, door panels or the like; for the purpose of holding filing drawer labels, name plates, or the like in readily viewable position. More specifically the invention relates to improvements in devices of the type shown for example in U.S. Patents 1,621,- 393 and 1,807,804.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a label holder as aforesaid which comprises a single integrally formed, frame-like device, stamped from sheet metal stock and having attachment lug portions integrally formed therewith to extend rearwardly from the front panel portion of the device in improved manner.

Another object is to provide an improved label holder as aforesaid which is adapted to be mounted upon a front plate (of a tiling cabinet drawer, or the like) which is prepunched to receive the holder attachment lugs in sliptted relation therethrough, whereupon the framing portion of the device covers and conceals from view in improved manner the front plate perforations.

Another object is to provide an improved device as aforesaid which is designed so as to be susceptible of fabrication by only simple and inexpensive manufacturing processes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a label holder of the invention shown in disassembled relation to a front plate upon which it is to be mounted;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the holder of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section, on enlarged scale, taken as suggested by line 33 of FIG. 1 but showing the parts in assembling positions.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example herein, as being embodied in a label holder designated generally at adapted for mounting upon a filing cabinet front plate, drawer head, or the like Ias indicated at 12, for the purpose of carrying a label card or the like as indicated at 14 (FIG. l). More specifically, the outwardly appearing configuration of the holder device of the invention may resemble any preferred frame-like or open panel form, such as to comprise vertical side legs 16-16, a top runner portion 18, and a bottom runner portion 20; combining to define a centrally disposed open Window 21 through which the label 14 will appear when slip-tted therebehind. As shown herein, the side and bottom Irunner portions of the holder device are perimetrally margined by rearwardly turned flange portions terminating in a common plane so as to snugly t against the -front plate 12 when the device is mounted thereon, while the top runner portion 18 is cut back somewhat as indicated at 22 (FIG. 1) to provide a free space vbetween the top runner portion and the mounting plate 12, for gravity slidefitted reception of the label card 14 therein. It will be understood, however, that in lieu of the specific arrangement as shown in the drawing herewith, the open slot formation for reception of the name plate or label card may -be otherwise located, -such as at either end of the device for endwise insertion and removal thereof. Also it will be understood that any desired number of lugs as indicated at 24 may be provided at any preferred positions perimetrally of the holder for slip-fitting insertion through lCe complementary-shaped and positioned apertured portions 26 of the front plate 12.

The present invention features the provision of a new and improved holder mounting lug arrangement, as will now be explained in detail. The holder and mounting lug system comprises a single-piece integral stamping from a sheet stockpiece of any suitably malleable material, such as soft aluminum, ferrous or non-ferrous alloys, steel, or the like. The blank for the device is first struck out of a flat stockpiece by any standard blanking-die operation. The edge flanges and attachment lug portions are then bent rearwardly therefrom; and the piece is then coined or cold-forged into the finished form of the device by a subsequent pressing operation. The piece may then of course be subjected to any necessary or desired final finishing operations, as may be preferred.

During the forming operation the internal and external rim portions as indicated at 28, 30, respectively, are turned rearwardly, thereby throwing the lug portions 24 rearwardly and to extend normal to the fron-t surface plane of the device; the rear edge faces of the flanges 30 being disposed further rearwardly than are the rear edge faces of the flanges 2S. The forging or coining operation is then performed with the result that the flanges 30 are increased in thickness so as to provide rear faces thereon of such width as to provide the shoulders 32 which are shown in FIG. 3 extend outwardly beyond the planes of the outer faces of the lugs 24. The rear faces of the flanges 30 after the cold-forming thickening operation, remain in a plane disposed behind the plane of the rear faces of the flanges 28, so as to provide the requisite clearance to accommodate the label card 14.. It will be seen that the inner rim portion 28 projects a short distance yrearwardly beyond the rear surface plane of the member, and the outer rim portion 30 projects to a still greater distance rearwardly thereof to meet the face plate 12 when the holder is mounted thereon. Thus, it is a particular feature of the present invention that the coining operation positions the lug portions 24 inwardly of the profile view outside marginal edges of the outer flange portion 30, whereby the sharp-angled shoulder portions 32 flank the lugs 24 and cover from view the front plate apertures 26 through which the lugs 24 pass when the device is mounted on the front plate. The lugs may then be either twisted behind the front plate or bent over therebehind as indicated by their broken line showings in FIG. 3, to lock the holder to the front plate.

Thus, it will be seen that by means of only a minimum of operating steps the device of the invention may be fabricated from flat sheet metal stock or the like; and that the finished article is of improved form because when mounted on the front plate the sharp shoulder formations as shown at 32 overhang and cover all evidences of the front plate apertures, as distinguished from results obtained by prior sheet metal fabrications for the same purpose. For example, a holder device made by simply bending the lug portions rearwardly from the front panel portion would invariably result in drawing the metal of the adjacent ange portion 30 inwardly along with the lug portion, so that no overhanging sharp-angled shoulder portion as illustrated at 32 (FIG. 3) herein is attainable, for covering 4from view the front plate apertures. Also, the holder is of an inherently stable structural form because the bent flange formations 28, 30, which margin the framing portions of the holder, both internally and externally, provide a rectangularly-shaped channel-sectioned structure which is highly resistant to any bending or torsional stresses. Also, the cold-forging or coining operation above referred to work-hardens the metal as it assumes its final configuration. This is an important feature because the top rail portion 18 is thereby rigidified against any distortion `such as would disgure the device and/or close the card insert gap as a result of blows thereagainst as are normally encountered when such devices are in use.

It will of course be appreciated that whereas only one form of the device has been illustrated and described in detail hereinabove, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a mounting plate having a slotshaped aperture therethrough, and a label holder formed from a blank stamped in one-piece form from sheet metal,

said holder having a frame portion sectionally shaped of channel like form and thereby comprising a front web portion margined by internal and external flange portions extending rearwardly from said front web portion,

and an integrally formed mounting lug extending rearwardly from said external ange portion and sliptted through said plate apertured portion,

said lug being inwardly offset from the outer face of said external flange portion and said outer ange portion being formed to provide a sharp-angled shoulder extending outwardly beyond the plane of the outer surface of said lug and thereby covering from front View of the slip-tit junction between said plate apertured portion and `said lug,

said lug being thinner than said external ange portion and having its inner face substantially in the plane of the inner face of said external ange portion.

2. A label holder formed from a blank stamped in onepiece form from sheet metal, and comprising top and 4bottom and two opposite side frame portions defining an open window space therebetween,

each said frame portion-s being sectionally shaped of channel like form and comprising a front web portion margined by internal and external ange portions extending rearwardly from its front web portion,

at least two integrally formed mounting lugs extending rearwardly from the external ange portion thereof -but inwardly off-set from the outer face of said external ange portion, and the outer flange portion being shaped to provide a sharp-angled shoulder extending outwardly beyond the plane of the adjacent outer surface of said lug,

said lug being thinner than lsaid external flange portion and having its inner -face substantially in the plane of the inner face of said external ange portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

Wi J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner; 

1. IN COMBINATION, A MOUNTING PLATE HAVING A SLOTSHAPED APERTURE THERETHROUGH, AND A LABEL HOLDER FORMED FROM A BLANK STAMPED IN ONE-PIECE FORM FROM SHEET METAL, SAID HOLDER HAVING A FRAME PORTION SECTIONALLY SHAPED OF CHANNEL LIKE FORM AND THEREBY COMPRISING A FRONT WEB PORTION MARGINED BY INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FLANGE PORTIONS EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID FRONT WEB PORTION, AND AN INTEGRALLY FORMED MOUNTING LUG EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID EXTERNAL FLANGE PORTION AND SLIPFITTED THROUGH SAID PLATE APERTURED PORTION, SAID LUG BEING INWARDLY OFFSET FROM THE OUTER FACE OF SAID EXTERNAL FLANGE PORTION AND SAID OUTER FLANGE PORTION BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE A SHARP-ANGLED SHOULDER EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE PLANE OF THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID LUG AND THEREBY COVERING FROM FRONT VIEW OF THE SLIP-FIT JUNCTION BETWEEN SAID PLATE APERTURED PORTION AND SAID LUG, SAID LUG BEING THINNER THAN SAID EXTERNAL FLANGE PORTION AND HAVING ITS INNER FACE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF THE INNER FACE OF SAID EXTERNAL FLANGE PORTION. 